Interwar Bucharest is often remembered as a city of elegance, full of cafés bustling with intellectuals and artists, with architecture that earned it the nickname “Little Paris.” Yet behind this refined image, the streets of the capital also concealed a darker universe: poor slums, marginalized neighborhoods, and the beginnings of an underworld that would mark the city’s history. It was in this context that the first “famous bandits” appeared, figures who spread terror and entered urban legend. Two of the most feared were Nicolae Purcică, nicknamed Nae Chioru, and Gică Cioc, also known as the Dragon.

Interwar Bucharest, a city with two faces

The 1920s and 1930s represented a period of economic and cultural growth for the capital. In the city center, modern buildings rose, elegant shops opened, and theaters attracted crowds, while the elite frequented the luxurious cafés along Calea Victoriei. But on the outskirts, the picture was completely different.

Neighborhoods such as Ferentari, Rahova, or the areas around the North Train Station gathered the poor, the unemployed, beggars, and people marginalized by a system unable to integrate the constant influx of new residents.

From this world of deprivation arose the first organized gangs, made up of individuals who survived through theft, extortion, and robbery. They soon became known among Bucharesters, and stories about them circulated from mouth to mouth, mixing reality with legend.

Nae Chioru and the beginnings of organized crime

Nicolae Purcică, known everywhere as Nae Chioru, came from a poor, hopeless background. A lack of education and the lure of quick money pushed him toward a life of crime. 

From a young age, he stood out for his cruelty in attacking passersby, robbing them without hesitation and sometimes killing just to get his hands on their money.

His name became synonymous with fear on the streets of interwar Bucharest. It was said that Nae Chioru controlled his territory with an iron fist and intimidated even his own accomplices. For ordinary people, crossing paths with him could mean a death sentence, whether for a few coins or a pocket watch.

The Dragon, a mobster driven by violence

If Nae Chioru was feared for his cruelty, Gică Cioc—nicknamed the Dragon—was notorious for his brute force and aggressive nature. Contemporaries described him as a man dominated by violent impulses and a permanent thirst for power. Around him, he managed to build a network of loyal followers.

Together with Nae Chioru, he founded a gang that committed robberies of extreme brutality. Victims were attacked on dark streets, in poor neighborhoods, or even in broad daylight. Murders were often committed simply to impose authority. In no time, the two became known not just in the capital, but in major cities across the country.

The myth of “urban outlaws” and the bloody reality

Just as the 19th century had its stories about outlaws who robbed the rich to help the poor, interwar Bucharest also spawned legends about supposed “generous gestures” made by Nae Chioru or the Dragon. In reality, however, they had nothing of the nobility of the old haiduks.

Their actions were motivated solely by greed and the desire to dominate neighborhoods. If at times they threw a few coins to the poor of Ferentari, these gestures were more intimidation tactics meant to ensure silence and protection within the community.

Ferentari, the “nest” of mobsters

After the Second World War, Ferentari became one of the poorest districts of Bucharest. Here gathered the jobless, beggars, and those eager to take advantage of the chaos of the times. For the newly installed communist authorities, this area was a major problem, but their means of control were limited.

It was in this environment that Nae Chioru and the Dragon thrived. They set up their headquarters in shady taverns and used fear as their main tool of domination.

 Although the communist regime promoted social equality, individuals like them were either arrested and thrown into prison or, in some cases, used for missions operating at the edge of legality.

The police and Commissioner Alimănescu

The fame of these two mobsters quickly reached the authorities, and by 1947 their files were well known across the police apparatus. The only man who seemed capable of facing them was Commissioner Eugen Alimănescu, a feared officer of the time, famous for his harsh methods and effectiveness in dismantling criminal gangs.

Alimănescu tried for years to capture Nae Chioru and the Dragon, but they always managed to escape, either by moving their bases of operation or by relying on influential accomplices. At one point, Nae Chioru even shifted his headquarters to Oradea, attempting to escape the vigilance of the Bucharest police.

Rivalry with Sandu Moise, nicknamed “Hitler”

Besides the police, the Dragon had another dangerous rival: Sandu Moise, known in the underworld as Hitler. Their rivalry grew sharper when Balaurul discovered that his former lover was now with Moise. Consumed by jealousy, he swore revenge.

This obsession proved fatal. On New Year’s Eve, the Dragon and his men decided to eliminate Hitler in order to take over his operations. At the same time, Commissioner Alimănescu was preparing a raid at the same location, but the gang reached it first, sparking chaos.

The bloody New Year’s night

The Dragon’s attack turned into a massacre. Gunfire erupted, chaos spread within seconds, and the outcome was tragic. Sandu Moise, his lover, and the Dragon himself all fell under a hail of bullets. The scene remained etched in memory as one of the most violent underworld clashes in interwar Bucharest.

The Dragon’s death marked, at least temporarily, the end of an era of terror, but stories of his brutality and power continued to circulate for years. Meanwhile, Nae Chioru managed to prolong his criminal career for a time, though pressure from the authorities and the loss of support gradually weakened his influence.

The legacy of the first mobsters

The story of Nae Chioru and the Dragon shows that the phenomenon of organized crime is not an invention of the post-communist period. As early as the 1920s and 1930s, Bucharest experienced organized criminal activity, fueled by poverty, lack of opportunity, and a justice system ill-prepared to deal with such challenges.

Although their figures were often wrapped in urban legend, the reality is that these men spread terror and insecurity. For many residents of Bucharest at the time, simply hearing the names Nae Chioru or the Dragon was enough to instill fear.

Interwar Bucharest had two faces: one of elegance, modern buildings, and vibrant cultural life, and another of poor slums where the first criminal gangs emerged. Nae Chioru and the Dragon were among the most feared figures of this parallel world, and their stories reveal how terror, crime, and personal rivalries shaped the early days of organized crime in the capital.

Today, when people talk about the contemporary underworld, it is worth remembering that this phenomenon has deep roots in the city’s past. The story of Nae Chioru and the Dragon illustrates not only what interwar Bucharest looked like but also how thin the line was between the refined “Little Paris” and the bloody violence of its slums.

We also recommend: The story of gangster Gică Cioc, the “Dragon” of Ferentari who terrorized Bucharest in the 1940s